The group stood at the edge of the graveyard. Ahead lay the entrance to the second layer of the dungeon, a massive stone archway etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly in the dim light.

The air was heavy with exhaustion, and the group took the opportunity to rest, their breaths ragged and their movements sluggish.

Max leaned against a moss covered tombstone, his wings folded neatly behind him. He glanced at the others, Julio was tending to his starfish pets, Nicholas was sitting on the ground with his massive frame heaving, and Jimmy was in the corner trying to grab as less attention as he could.

Kane's group was a little further off, their tension palpable even from a distance, Max's team were much stronger then theirs, especially Max who hadn't used any skill from the start, the difference made them nervous about Max's earlier attitude.

.....

"I need to take a leak," Max announced casually, pushing himself off the tombstone. "Don't wander off without me."

Julio waved him off without looking up, and the others barely acknowledged him. Max walked a short distance away, disappearing behind a cluster of rocks. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a mirror card. The surface shimmered faintly as he activated his skill [World of Mirrors].

The world around him seemed to ripple, and the mirror in his hand glowed with an otherworldly light. Max stepped through it, the reflection swallowing him whole.

...

Inside the mirror world, the surroundings were distorted and surreal, but Max didn't linger. He moved quickly, locating the only other mirror within this dungeon.

From his pocket, he pulled out a normal looking phone, one that he earlier linked to his super phone.

He held it up to the floating mirror, and with a flick of his wrist, he tossed it through.

The phone vanished into the reflection, reappearing in a vast, dimly lit chamber on the other side.

In the final boss's room, Xrak stood amidst the shadows, his alien form towering and imposing. His sleek, metallic body gleamed faintly in the low light, and his glowing eyes scanned the room with an air of detached curiosity.

He was obviously using a different type of Clone from the last time.

....

The phone materialized on the ground with a soft clink, and Xrak tilted his head, his expression unreadable.

He picked it up, his clawed fingers moving with precision. The screen lit up, and Max's voice came through, distorted and unrecognizable.

"Xrak," Max said, his tone calm but urgent. "Give me the beacon."

Max was afraid one of the team members would be using some skill to scout the boss or something of sort, so he didn't dare show himself.

Xrak's glowing eyes flickered as he listened to Max's distorted voice. Without a word, he reached into a compartment on his metallic body and pulled out a dark blue crystal, its surface pulsing with an eerie, otherworldly glow.

He placed it next to the mirror in the boss room, and the crystal was immediately absorbed, vanishing into the reflection.

In the mirror world, Max caught the crystal as it emerged from the mirror in front of him. He examined it briefly before sealing it within one of the silver cards using [Mirror Prison], then putting it inside his space ring. The beacon was secured.

"Good," Max's voice crackled through the phone. "Now, I wanted to ask you something."

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"before that, we have something to discuss." Interrupted Xrak.

"huh, what is it?"

"About the team that came in with you. They're low in rank but strong. Unusual for so many genius is to assemble, do you know anything about that."

"in fact I do, I consider it valuable information for you, so just pay me whatever if you didn't get wind of it before hand."

Max considered himself a good teammate, at least when there was benefits on the table, and no reason to back stab you, so he generously explained the situation of the governments currently, their plan to cooperate, the trial runs, and he even added his own conjectures as Xrak listened.

"I've noticed. each with their own schemes.

still getting confirmation from you was helpful, I own you one. Speaking of which, there's a problem."

Max paused. "What kind of problem?"

"Someone from the outside is using a dungeon item to monitor the situation inside," Xrak explained. "It's a rare artifact, but it allows them to observe the dungeon's progress in real time, most probably because of this trail runs."

"I see, but what's the problem?"

" I can no longer hold back during the fight. If I do, the observers might realize I'm not fighting seriously, and that could raise suspicions about you."

Max's voice tightened. "You're saying you have to fight for real? In that thing?" He gestured vaguely to Xrak's body, though Xrak couldn't see him.

Max saw this kind of body before on the web, and from what little he read, it wasn't good news.

"That clone body of yours should be the so called reaper. No one at their rank should be able to survive it. If you go all out, they'll get slaughtered, even I won't be able to survive if I fight head on."

Xrak's tone was matter of fact. "Exactly. But if I don't, the observers might figure out that I'm holding back. And if they connect the dots, they'll start asking questions. Questions you don't want them to ask.

We'd have to figure out a method to kill me without putting a marker on you. "

Max cursed under his breath. "Why did you even pick that clone for this dungeon? Couldn't you have used something less... overpowered?"

Xrak's metallic shoulders shifted in what might have been a shrug. "This was the original plan. The boss's form couldn't be changed in time. It was the only part we didn't get to change."

Max sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Great. Just great.

Max paced in the mirror world, his mind racing. "Alright, fine. If you have to fight seriously, then we'll just have to make it look convincing. But I can't have you wiping out the entire team. That would defeat the whole purpose of this charade."

Xrak's glowing eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you suggest? I can't exactly pull my punches if I'm being watched."

Max stopped pacing and turned to face the mirror, his expression serious. "just kill a few at random, And Don't dodge when the time comes."

There was a pause on the other end. Xrak tilted his head, his metallic features unreadable. "Explain."

Max's voice lowered, though the distortion from the phone made it sound even more cryptic. "When the fight starts, I'll figure something out. Just... don't dodge. Trust me."

Xrak let out a low, rumbling sound that might have been a laugh. "You're asking me to take a hit from you? In this form? That's a bold move, even for you."

Max smirked, though Xrak couldn't see it. "You'll die. Probably. Just make it look good. If we pull this off, no one will suspect a thing."

Xrak considered this for a moment before nodding. "Very well. But if this goes wrong, don't blame me for what happens next."

"Noted," Max said dryly. "Now, ckeck this for me."

As Max spoke, he pushed the rainbow stone through the mirror.

"this is?" Asked Xrak as he picked the stone.

"something I picked up, I believe it holds great value, but can't find a use for it."

Max explained a little about the stone, and the pigeon to Xrak.

"I see and you want me to research it for you, find I use for it?"

"not sure yet, just thought I'd ask you first on my way."

Xrak went quiet for a moments, with his vision he could already see through the material at his hand.

"it would cost you, maybe one C-rank dungeon, but..... You see Max, take this as an advice from me, I could already see it's potential but it's useless for you and me because of our... alignment."

Max had a guess about Xrak's words, but he faint ignorance.

" alignment? What do you mean. "

" Let's just say, it's something for someone with great luck to use, others won't find it as useful. "

Xrak pushed the stone back to Max."But if you still want it researched, wait for my people to pass through after you deploy the beacon."

"No, just forget about it."

"suit yourself."

"Alright I need to get back before they start wondering where I went. Keep an eye on the observers. Let me know if anything changes."

Xrak's glowing eyes flickered in acknowledgment.

"Understood. Good luck, Max. You're going to need it.

Also before you go I summarized the rules of the observation artifact, 30 min of use with 1 hour of cooling, and it is focused on the Golden Heared man with you, if you kill him it will automatically move to someone else, so it's better to keep him alive.

Currently it's in cooldown 38min left. "

" Noted. "

Max ended the call and slipped the phone back into his space ring. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. The beacon was secure, but the real challenge was just beginning.

He stepped back through the mirror, the distorted world shifting around him until he emerged in the dim light of the dungeon's second layer.

The group was still resting when Max returned. Julio glanced up from his starfish pets, raising an eyebrow. "Took you long enough. You get lost or something?"

Max shrugged, his expression casual. "Just had to take care of some business. You know how it is."

Nicholas grunted, his massive frame shifting as he stood. "We're wasting time."